It's still a work in progress, but One Bite At a Time has officially moved!
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Don't forget to update your bookmarks, Google Reader, and RSS feeds, etc.!
I look forward to seeing you there!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
An on the go kind of day
Wow, I didn't even realize how close I was to 150 posts! I guess they add up when you post more often. :P
I'm probably going to be moving this blog over to my own domain soon. I had an earlier version of this blog over at www.spiceaholic.com and for some reason felt the need to start over here with the same name. I'm just going to move this one over and combine the two. You can go check out the old stuff if you want, it'll all still be there. Plus that URL is a heck of a lot easier to remember and type, isn't it? For some reason when I started this I thought your URL had to be the same as your blog name. Silly, innocent me.
But I'll let you guys know when I officially move over.
Anyway.
Yesterday I was out and about for most of the morning and early afternoon. I had an eye exam in the morning and then I was supposed to meet up with some former coworkers for lunch since I was in the area. I had planned to eat breakfast before my appointment but as usual I dawdled way too long getting ready and ran out the door with only a Coke Zero. Breakfast of champions indeed.
Afterwards, I killed some time at Dunkin Donuts. I got an iced coffee with Splenda and got a couple of chocolate Munchkins. I love the donuts there, but felt like having just a couple Munchkins would give me the taste I wanted without doing too much damage. I just read a little while I waited. We were supposed to be meeting for some Chinese food, but while there I got a text saying one of them had restarted her diet and wanted to go to F20 instead. Not really my kind of place, but I agreed to meet them there.
I got there early and since there was a Costco in the same parking lot decided to kill some time there too. Now I've told you before how I'm probably the only person I know who buys cookbooks there as often as food. I headed straight for the book section as usual. Found a new mystery out by an author I discovered a few months ago, but I'm on the waiting list for it at the library so ignored it. The cookbook section at Costco has regrettably diminished quite a bit in the past few months. No, not because I buy them like crazy. Anyway, I saw a new Cooking Light one that looked good - Eat Well, Live Well or something like that. I managed to convince myself it'd still be here in a few days and I could get it later if we came back to buy stuff. I also checked Amazon to see if it was there, but it must be one of those special prints they do for Costco because I've bought a few there and don't see them on Amazon for sale. I also took a quick looksie to see if there's anything I wanted to come back for this weekend. Might do so.
By now it was time to meet them for lunch so I headed over to F20, which stands for Fresh To Order. Now, I've only been here once, but it just didn't do it for me. I'm really not a salad kind of girl, and I'm actually pretty picky about my salads. Write me off if you must, but I do not enjoy goat cheese, bleu cheese, Gorgonzola, balsamic vinegar, candied nuts, dried fruits, and sweet dressings, etc. on my salad. Sorry. And it seems like there's a lot of that there. I know you can make substitutioins, but having had such a skimpy breakfast I wanted something more substantial than leaves and veggies.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised this time. Yes, they did have the tons of salads and stuff, but I saw some sandwiches that looked good too. I'm wondering if the time I went last time I was trying to be "good" and that just made it harder to order what I wanted because I felt restricted. Today I felt no such compunction. I ordered exactly what I wanted -- the Chicken Ceasar Panini with no avocado (allergic, how tragic) and a side of apple slices.
My food took longer to come out than everyone else, but it was worth it. I had chosen ciabatta bread and it was oh so good. The grilled chicken wasn't phony and processed, but real breast meat. It was very good and I was so hungry I ate the whole sandwich and didn't feel guilty. I had a few of the apple slices afterwards but they were starting to make my mouth itchy so I stopped and just enjoyed the company.
Thus vigorously fortified, I set off to run one last errand before going home. I had to return a library book but since I was nearby, I also popped into a natural foods store that opened up a few months ago. I'll drop in now and then and buy a couple things, but their selection isn't really that great to be honest. I found some PopChips and a vegan lemon cookie and got those.
After the library, I figured since I was out I might as well hit up the used bookstore that was nearby. It's a lot smaller than the ones I usually go to, but it's such a cute little store. I used to work in one when I was in college so these cozy places hold a place in my heart.
Now I was finally done running around and was able to spend the rest of the day just relaxing and watching old shows.
And yes, I finally have some food pics for you.
I felt snacky a few hours later and had some SunChips.
When I realized it was close to dinner time, I defrosted some tilapia I had in the freezer and cooked it up with some Berbere seasoning I got at World Market a while back. It's an Ethiopian spice mix that contains a lot of ingredients found in Indian cooking. I also cooked up some couscous and spinach and added some Ras-el-Hanout seasoning that I'd also bought at World Market. This stuff is a blend of spices from North Africa and the Middle East. Again, it has ingredients found in Indian cooking, so it tasted good to me.
After dinner we wanted something sweet, so I broke out the cookie I'd bought earlier. I liked the taste, it was very lemony, but the texture was not cookie-like at all. More like a dense cake. It worked for me, but Mr. Spice wasn't too crazy about the texture.
We watched more tv and still wanted something sweet so I had some ice cream and got into some Hot Tamales as well. I finally made myself stop before I did too much damage. I know it's because I didn't have a proper breakfast to start me off right. Lesson learned. Time to move on.
I'm probably going to be moving this blog over to my own domain soon. I had an earlier version of this blog over at www.spiceaholic.com and for some reason felt the need to start over here with the same name. I'm just going to move this one over and combine the two. You can go check out the old stuff if you want, it'll all still be there. Plus that URL is a heck of a lot easier to remember and type, isn't it? For some reason when I started this I thought your URL had to be the same as your blog name. Silly, innocent me.
But I'll let you guys know when I officially move over.
Anyway.
Yesterday I was out and about for most of the morning and early afternoon. I had an eye exam in the morning and then I was supposed to meet up with some former coworkers for lunch since I was in the area. I had planned to eat breakfast before my appointment but as usual I dawdled way too long getting ready and ran out the door with only a Coke Zero. Breakfast of champions indeed.
Afterwards, I killed some time at Dunkin Donuts. I got an iced coffee with Splenda and got a couple of chocolate Munchkins. I love the donuts there, but felt like having just a couple Munchkins would give me the taste I wanted without doing too much damage. I just read a little while I waited. We were supposed to be meeting for some Chinese food, but while there I got a text saying one of them had restarted her diet and wanted to go to F20 instead. Not really my kind of place, but I agreed to meet them there.
I got there early and since there was a Costco in the same parking lot decided to kill some time there too. Now I've told you before how I'm probably the only person I know who buys cookbooks there as often as food. I headed straight for the book section as usual. Found a new mystery out by an author I discovered a few months ago, but I'm on the waiting list for it at the library so ignored it. The cookbook section at Costco has regrettably diminished quite a bit in the past few months. No, not because I buy them like crazy. Anyway, I saw a new Cooking Light one that looked good - Eat Well, Live Well or something like that. I managed to convince myself it'd still be here in a few days and I could get it later if we came back to buy stuff. I also checked Amazon to see if it was there, but it must be one of those special prints they do for Costco because I've bought a few there and don't see them on Amazon for sale. I also took a quick looksie to see if there's anything I wanted to come back for this weekend. Might do so.
By now it was time to meet them for lunch so I headed over to F20, which stands for Fresh To Order. Now, I've only been here once, but it just didn't do it for me. I'm really not a salad kind of girl, and I'm actually pretty picky about my salads. Write me off if you must, but I do not enjoy goat cheese, bleu cheese, Gorgonzola, balsamic vinegar, candied nuts, dried fruits, and sweet dressings, etc. on my salad. Sorry. And it seems like there's a lot of that there. I know you can make substitutioins, but having had such a skimpy breakfast I wanted something more substantial than leaves and veggies.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised this time. Yes, they did have the tons of salads and stuff, but I saw some sandwiches that looked good too. I'm wondering if the time I went last time I was trying to be "good" and that just made it harder to order what I wanted because I felt restricted. Today I felt no such compunction. I ordered exactly what I wanted -- the Chicken Ceasar Panini with no avocado (allergic, how tragic) and a side of apple slices.
My food took longer to come out than everyone else, but it was worth it. I had chosen ciabatta bread and it was oh so good. The grilled chicken wasn't phony and processed, but real breast meat. It was very good and I was so hungry I ate the whole sandwich and didn't feel guilty. I had a few of the apple slices afterwards but they were starting to make my mouth itchy so I stopped and just enjoyed the company.
Thus vigorously fortified, I set off to run one last errand before going home. I had to return a library book but since I was nearby, I also popped into a natural foods store that opened up a few months ago. I'll drop in now and then and buy a couple things, but their selection isn't really that great to be honest. I found some PopChips and a vegan lemon cookie and got those.
After the library, I figured since I was out I might as well hit up the used bookstore that was nearby. It's a lot smaller than the ones I usually go to, but it's such a cute little store. I used to work in one when I was in college so these cozy places hold a place in my heart.
Now I was finally done running around and was able to spend the rest of the day just relaxing and watching old shows.
And yes, I finally have some food pics for you.
I felt snacky a few hours later and had some SunChips.
When I realized it was close to dinner time, I defrosted some tilapia I had in the freezer and cooked it up with some Berbere seasoning I got at World Market a while back. It's an Ethiopian spice mix that contains a lot of ingredients found in Indian cooking. I also cooked up some couscous and spinach and added some Ras-el-Hanout seasoning that I'd also bought at World Market. This stuff is a blend of spices from North Africa and the Middle East. Again, it has ingredients found in Indian cooking, so it tasted good to me.
After dinner we wanted something sweet, so I broke out the cookie I'd bought earlier. I liked the taste, it was very lemony, but the texture was not cookie-like at all. More like a dense cake. It worked for me, but Mr. Spice wasn't too crazy about the texture.
We watched more tv and still wanted something sweet so I had some ice cream and got into some Hot Tamales as well. I finally made myself stop before I did too much damage. I know it's because I didn't have a proper breakfast to start me off right. Lesson learned. Time to move on.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
She's a coaster freak, a coaster freak . . .
I know, I'm a dork.
Oh and I'm not talking about the coasters that you set your glasses on.
Before we get to all that, here's yesterday's eats:
I hereby dub these "Fiesta Fried Eggs." As you can see, I like my eggs on the well-done side. Not a huge fan of uber-runny yolks. Anyway, I just wanted to jazz them up a little and think I did a pretty good job of it.
Sorry for the blurriness of this pic, none of them turned out that good. Although I'm not a vegetarian, I do enjoy trying various Morningstar and Boca products. I saw a grilled "chikn" patty by Morningstar and decided I'd give it a try. I didn't really like it in the wrap, probably because everything else was kinda bland. I'm going to try these out with some buffalo wing sauce or barbecue sauce to see if they taste better when doctored up. And I'm sure if I cooked them in a pan or on a grill they'd taste better too - I was in a hurry and nuked them.
As far as pictures for yesterday, that's all folks. The rest of the day was unplanned and I didn't have my camera with me.
Oh right, I was talking about coasters before, wasn't I? Yes. Well, I thought it'd be fun for Mr. Spice and me to get out and actually do something rather than just going to stores, movies, coffee shops and hanging out at bookstores. He doesn't always want to do the stuff I would like to do, but I convinced him on this one. We had buy one get one free coupons for Six Flags over Georgia and since neither of us had been and we both love roller coasters, I thought we should go. We timed it so we got there a little after 5, so it wasn't as crowded and hot. I'm mad we didn't do this sooner, it was so much fun! The lines weren't too horrible and after we went on the scarier looking coasters, we took a break and just people-watched for a while. If any of you ever go there, I really recommend the Goliath -- that was hands down (or up!) the BEST roller coaster I've been on. The first drop is soo high and we were literally up out of our seats for most of the ride. If the line hadn't been so long for this one I would have gone again.
On the way to Six Flags (which took all of 10 minutes), I had a couple Quaker granola bars and Mr. Spice had a nut and dried fruit mix. That held us over pretty well for the few hours we were at the park. Afterwards we were both starving. We've been trying not to eat out too much during the week, but I didn't have anything at home that was going to be quick and ready to go so we decided to grab something on the way home. We ended up at Five Guys since we hadn't been there in a while and burgers just sounded REALLY good right then. Now, I've learned my lesson about ordering food there. I always get a little hamburger or little cheeseburger -- the regular size has 2 patties and that's just too much. And now we just split an order of the regular-sized Cajun fries since they dump a whole bunch in there anyway; even then I think it's enough for more than 2 people.
And that's about it for yesterday!
Oh and I'm not talking about the coasters that you set your glasses on.
Before we get to all that, here's yesterday's eats:
I hereby dub these "Fiesta Fried Eggs." As you can see, I like my eggs on the well-done side. Not a huge fan of uber-runny yolks. Anyway, I just wanted to jazz them up a little and think I did a pretty good job of it.
Sorry for the blurriness of this pic, none of them turned out that good. Although I'm not a vegetarian, I do enjoy trying various Morningstar and Boca products. I saw a grilled "chikn" patty by Morningstar and decided I'd give it a try. I didn't really like it in the wrap, probably because everything else was kinda bland. I'm going to try these out with some buffalo wing sauce or barbecue sauce to see if they taste better when doctored up. And I'm sure if I cooked them in a pan or on a grill they'd taste better too - I was in a hurry and nuked them.
As far as pictures for yesterday, that's all folks. The rest of the day was unplanned and I didn't have my camera with me.
Oh right, I was talking about coasters before, wasn't I? Yes. Well, I thought it'd be fun for Mr. Spice and me to get out and actually do something rather than just going to stores, movies, coffee shops and hanging out at bookstores. He doesn't always want to do the stuff I would like to do, but I convinced him on this one. We had buy one get one free coupons for Six Flags over Georgia and since neither of us had been and we both love roller coasters, I thought we should go. We timed it so we got there a little after 5, so it wasn't as crowded and hot. I'm mad we didn't do this sooner, it was so much fun! The lines weren't too horrible and after we went on the scarier looking coasters, we took a break and just people-watched for a while. If any of you ever go there, I really recommend the Goliath -- that was hands down (or up!) the BEST roller coaster I've been on. The first drop is soo high and we were literally up out of our seats for most of the ride. If the line hadn't been so long for this one I would have gone again.
On the way to Six Flags (which took all of 10 minutes), I had a couple Quaker granola bars and Mr. Spice had a nut and dried fruit mix. That held us over pretty well for the few hours we were at the park. Afterwards we were both starving. We've been trying not to eat out too much during the week, but I didn't have anything at home that was going to be quick and ready to go so we decided to grab something on the way home. We ended up at Five Guys since we hadn't been there in a while and burgers just sounded REALLY good right then. Now, I've learned my lesson about ordering food there. I always get a little hamburger or little cheeseburger -- the regular size has 2 patties and that's just too much. And now we just split an order of the regular-sized Cajun fries since they dump a whole bunch in there anyway; even then I think it's enough for more than 2 people.
And that's about it for yesterday!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Self-conscious eats
Somehow during July I managed to lose about 5 pounds. I'm still trying to figure out how it happened, but I also don't want to lose the momentum. I didn't exercise, so it's not that. I know I cut down on my Coke Zero addiction and I wasn't taking one of my medications, but I don't know if those had an effect. I'm honestly trying to remember what I ate differently, and this is one of those times where if I'd been food journaling I could look back and see.
Anyway, I decided to log my eating in SparkPeople again -- I was just going to log as I went instead of pre-planning everything. But knowing I was logging my food made me very conscious of what I decided to eat. And I don't know if that's a good thing, because then I start into my all-or-nothing "being good" routine and that always sets me up for a binge later on. I wish I could just eat normally and not obsess over every bite I had or didn't have.
So here's what I ate yesterday:
I started the day off with some Honey Nut Cheerios, strawberries, and vanilla soymilk. I'm usually not a cold cereal for breakfast kind of girl, but got into the habit while visiting my parents. We'll see how long it lasts.
For lunch I had a sandwich with roasted garlic hummus, pepperjack cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. And some baked Cheetos on the side. I've seen other bloggers doing the hummus and cheese combo as well and I actually like it!
Mid-afternoon I was hungry. I needed something that would tide me over a few more hours until dinner. I know from past experience that I do better eating more protein so I nuked up a frozen spicy chicken patty and had that. If you like the Wendy's Spicy Chicken sandwiches, get the Tyson Spicy Chicken Breast patties, they definitely take care of that craving!
I felt like Indian food for dinner, so I puttered around and made a green bean and potato bhaji. I browned some onions, then added mustard seeds, then dried red chili, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and salt. Finally I added the veggies and let them all cook together until done. Wasn't too bad, I usually suck at making veggie dishes.
We have gotten into the habit of eating basmati rice every time I make Indian food, and I'm afraid we've spoiled ourselves. I bought some plain long-grain rice from Publix this weekend and cooked it last night. There's no comparison - this stuff is sticky, bland, and bleh compared to basmati.
I heated up some of the frozen chicken seekh kababs that I get from our Indian store -- these are pretty good and help make a quick meal. Too bad they're so pricey -- 4 big kababs for a little under $8. Sometimes if the wife of the store-owner is up front she'll give me a discount if I buy a few. These kababs are pretty big and though the box says 1 and 1/3 kabab is the serving size, that is way too much. We'll just have 1 each and even then that's a bit much sometimes.
Now I have to be honest here -- I took seconds of the rice and veggies, but didn't take a picture. I did log it into SparkPeople though. So there.
After this huge dinner, I was full the rest of the evening and entertained no thoughts about dessert.
Anyway, I decided to log my eating in SparkPeople again -- I was just going to log as I went instead of pre-planning everything. But knowing I was logging my food made me very conscious of what I decided to eat. And I don't know if that's a good thing, because then I start into my all-or-nothing "being good" routine and that always sets me up for a binge later on. I wish I could just eat normally and not obsess over every bite I had or didn't have.
So here's what I ate yesterday:
I started the day off with some Honey Nut Cheerios, strawberries, and vanilla soymilk. I'm usually not a cold cereal for breakfast kind of girl, but got into the habit while visiting my parents. We'll see how long it lasts.
For lunch I had a sandwich with roasted garlic hummus, pepperjack cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. And some baked Cheetos on the side. I've seen other bloggers doing the hummus and cheese combo as well and I actually like it!
Mid-afternoon I was hungry. I needed something that would tide me over a few more hours until dinner. I know from past experience that I do better eating more protein so I nuked up a frozen spicy chicken patty and had that. If you like the Wendy's Spicy Chicken sandwiches, get the Tyson Spicy Chicken Breast patties, they definitely take care of that craving!
I felt like Indian food for dinner, so I puttered around and made a green bean and potato bhaji. I browned some onions, then added mustard seeds, then dried red chili, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and salt. Finally I added the veggies and let them all cook together until done. Wasn't too bad, I usually suck at making veggie dishes.
We have gotten into the habit of eating basmati rice every time I make Indian food, and I'm afraid we've spoiled ourselves. I bought some plain long-grain rice from Publix this weekend and cooked it last night. There's no comparison - this stuff is sticky, bland, and bleh compared to basmati.
I heated up some of the frozen chicken seekh kababs that I get from our Indian store -- these are pretty good and help make a quick meal. Too bad they're so pricey -- 4 big kababs for a little under $8. Sometimes if the wife of the store-owner is up front she'll give me a discount if I buy a few. These kababs are pretty big and though the box says 1 and 1/3 kabab is the serving size, that is way too much. We'll just have 1 each and even then that's a bit much sometimes.
Now I have to be honest here -- I took seconds of the rice and veggies, but didn't take a picture. I did log it into SparkPeople though. So there.
After this huge dinner, I was full the rest of the evening and entertained no thoughts about dessert.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Where did the Sunday go?
Lately a lot of my days are just zipping by and I don't remember what exactly I did, probably because I didn't do anything.
It probably doesn't help that I've been staying up late and getting up late. I'm no young'un anymore and it really messes me up the next day. Plus starting next week I have to go back to the grown-up world. Boo hoo.
The tricky thing about breakfast on weekends is that I get up much earlier than Mr. Spice, but sometimes I'll have just had breakfast when he decides he's up and is ready for lunch. I guess just because he wants lunch when I just had breakfast doesn't mean I have to eat with him, but we don't get lots of opportunities to eat together during the week. Anyway, so yesterday I just had some yogurt to calm down my rumbling belly so that if we ate lunch within a couple hours my appetite wouldn't be spoiled.
Of course it turned out that I ended up eating lunch alone anyway since I was hungry and he wasn't. Just some leftover chicken and a tortilla.
I got hungry again a few hours later and decided to break into the baby carrots I'd bought the other night. I had this with some light Southwestern ranch dressing and a few slices of turkey. See how I used one of my little prep bowls for the dressing? This is the smallest one in the set and measures 1/8 and 1/4 of a cup. If you look closely you can see I had just under 1/8 of a cup. or less than 2 tbsp.
After spending the rest of the afternoon watching tv, I realized it was almost 8 and we should probably think about dinner. I had some sliced baby portabella mushrooms that needed to be used up so I sauteed some in garlic, olive oil, and some other seasonings and then wilted some fresh spinach towards the end. Had some of that with some pasta, sauce, and some shredded parmesan/asiago/romano blend. This was really good and I really could have gone for more, but I wanted dessert.
And dessert I had. Just for curiosity's sake I had entered my food intake into SparkPeople and the tally after dinner was just under 900 calories, so I had quite a bit of calories to play with. I decided to go for it and have 2 servings of ice cream, so my total for the day was just under 1300 calories. Not too bad! This is another one of that set of prep bowls I've been using for portion control. This one held 3/4 cup and 1 cup. It turns out my ice cream scoop measures in 1/4 cup increments, so it all comes in pretty handy.
It probably doesn't help that I've been staying up late and getting up late. I'm no young'un anymore and it really messes me up the next day. Plus starting next week I have to go back to the grown-up world. Boo hoo.
The tricky thing about breakfast on weekends is that I get up much earlier than Mr. Spice, but sometimes I'll have just had breakfast when he decides he's up and is ready for lunch. I guess just because he wants lunch when I just had breakfast doesn't mean I have to eat with him, but we don't get lots of opportunities to eat together during the week. Anyway, so yesterday I just had some yogurt to calm down my rumbling belly so that if we ate lunch within a couple hours my appetite wouldn't be spoiled.
Of course it turned out that I ended up eating lunch alone anyway since I was hungry and he wasn't. Just some leftover chicken and a tortilla.
I got hungry again a few hours later and decided to break into the baby carrots I'd bought the other night. I had this with some light Southwestern ranch dressing and a few slices of turkey. See how I used one of my little prep bowls for the dressing? This is the smallest one in the set and measures 1/8 and 1/4 of a cup. If you look closely you can see I had just under 1/8 of a cup. or less than 2 tbsp.
After spending the rest of the afternoon watching tv, I realized it was almost 8 and we should probably think about dinner. I had some sliced baby portabella mushrooms that needed to be used up so I sauteed some in garlic, olive oil, and some other seasonings and then wilted some fresh spinach towards the end. Had some of that with some pasta, sauce, and some shredded parmesan/asiago/romano blend. This was really good and I really could have gone for more, but I wanted dessert.
And dessert I had. Just for curiosity's sake I had entered my food intake into SparkPeople and the tally after dinner was just under 900 calories, so I had quite a bit of calories to play with. I decided to go for it and have 2 servings of ice cream, so my total for the day was just under 1300 calories. Not too bad! This is another one of that set of prep bowls I've been using for portion control. This one held 3/4 cup and 1 cup. It turns out my ice cream scoop measures in 1/4 cup increments, so it all comes in pretty handy.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Movie Munchie Madness
Yes, I'm rather fond of alliterative titles.
Yesterday wasn't one of my best eating days, but it certainly wasn't my worst.
I had plans to go to a friend's house around noon to watch Coraline with her and some other girlfriends. She was taking care of the sandwich stuff and we were bringing whatever else we wanted.
First things first -- if you go grocery shopping when you haven't eaten, then you're asking for it.
Anyway, so here's the lunch spread. I brought the Sunchips, the dark chocolate Reese's cups, and the coconut M&Ms. By the way, those last two are officially my favorite candies for this week.
Now don't be fooled by the plate I took. I had another half sandwich later on and we all were chowing down on chips and chocolate.
Later that afternoon a couple of us went to go watch The Ugly Truth. I liked it -- very predictable, but it was fun to watch. Along with the eye candy on-screen, I had some Hot Tamales.
After the movie, I went grocery shopping and got lots of good healthy food for the week.
I've discovered that if I eat a heavy meal around lunch time/early afternoon, I really don't feel like eating the rest of the day. That was the case yesterday. I didn't get hungry again until after 10, while Mr. Spice and I were watching some tv.
Didn't get a picture of it, but I had a Trader Joe's Veggie Masala Burger on some light bread, with some achaar for taste. Then I had to make one for Mr. Spice since he thought it smelled really good. I was still hungry so I had some Sunchips. Okay and then a couple cookies later. I swear I'm going to freeze the rest of the cookies.
Anyway, so like I said, not one of my best days but not one of my worst either.
Today's plans are up in the air, but I do need to do my assignments for a QuickBooks class I'm taking online and I need to fill out some paperwork. See you later!
Yesterday wasn't one of my best eating days, but it certainly wasn't my worst.
I had plans to go to a friend's house around noon to watch Coraline with her and some other girlfriends. She was taking care of the sandwich stuff and we were bringing whatever else we wanted.
First things first -- if you go grocery shopping when you haven't eaten, then you're asking for it.
Anyway, so here's the lunch spread. I brought the Sunchips, the dark chocolate Reese's cups, and the coconut M&Ms. By the way, those last two are officially my favorite candies for this week.
Now don't be fooled by the plate I took. I had another half sandwich later on and we all were chowing down on chips and chocolate.
Later that afternoon a couple of us went to go watch The Ugly Truth. I liked it -- very predictable, but it was fun to watch. Along with the eye candy on-screen, I had some Hot Tamales.
After the movie, I went grocery shopping and got lots of good healthy food for the week.
I've discovered that if I eat a heavy meal around lunch time/early afternoon, I really don't feel like eating the rest of the day. That was the case yesterday. I didn't get hungry again until after 10, while Mr. Spice and I were watching some tv.
Didn't get a picture of it, but I had a Trader Joe's Veggie Masala Burger on some light bread, with some achaar for taste. Then I had to make one for Mr. Spice since he thought it smelled really good. I was still hungry so I had some Sunchips. Okay and then a couple cookies later. I swear I'm going to freeze the rest of the cookies.
Anyway, so like I said, not one of my best days but not one of my worst either.
Today's plans are up in the air, but I do need to do my assignments for a QuickBooks class I'm taking online and I need to fill out some paperwork. See you later!
Friday, July 31, 2009
The cookie monster strikes!
I think I'm starting to remember why I don't bake that often.
It's because I can't stop eating what I've baked. :)
Anyway, today was another day of shopping and I did quite the damage. I went over my budget, but that was because I saw 2 really cute purses at Kohls. And don't worry, my usual buyer's remorse will set in shortly and I will be off returning stuff. That's my shopping M.O. -- buy first, then question later. If I see something I like in my size I snatch it up because chances are if I wait too long it'll be gone.
So after spending a few hours shopping, I came home starving for lunch.
I finished off the last of the turkey keema I'd made a couple days ago, along with half a tortilla and two of those innocent-looking but evil cookies. See how they lurk in the back like that? Last week Kroger had ground turkey on sale -- $1 for one of those 1-lb tubey things. And it was light turkey too. I went and bought $10 worth so I could stock up on them for easy meals later. Always thinking ahead.
I spent the rest of the afternoon on the internet. And then after I posted that wedding video, I was sending messages back and forth to my cousin on Facebook about some Bollywood videos we'd loved back in the day and then I started getting nostalgic and began watching them on YouTube. I'm sure my husband thought I'd lost my mind again when he saw me glued to the computer watching all that cheesiness. Good stuff though.
Don't worry, I did manage to tear myself away to get dinner going. I had some chicken drumsticks thawing in the fridge that I needed to use up. See, those were the result of yet another good sale a few weeks ago -- chicken drumsticks and thighs were $.99/lb so I stocked up. Of course at that low of a price they came with the skin on, which I hate dealing with. Anyway, I figured a good way to use up the drumsticks was to marinate them in one of those bottled marinades and then bake them up.
No evil cookies here, just chicken and some lettuce and tomatoes.
We decided to watch a movie as we were eating dinner -- we have had some movies from Netflix for a few weeks now and really need to watch them. We watched RocknRolla, which is a crime flick, not really my type, but it wasn't too bad.
Oh but we decided to snack a bit as we were watching. There might have been some Sun Chips that made their way into my tummy but managed to avoid being photographed.
Look who decided to show up!
Those darn cookies keep showing up everywhere like those travelling gnomes.
That's it for tonight!
It's because I can't stop eating what I've baked. :)
Anyway, today was another day of shopping and I did quite the damage. I went over my budget, but that was because I saw 2 really cute purses at Kohls. And don't worry, my usual buyer's remorse will set in shortly and I will be off returning stuff. That's my shopping M.O. -- buy first, then question later. If I see something I like in my size I snatch it up because chances are if I wait too long it'll be gone.
So after spending a few hours shopping, I came home starving for lunch.
I finished off the last of the turkey keema I'd made a couple days ago, along with half a tortilla and two of those innocent-looking but evil cookies. See how they lurk in the back like that? Last week Kroger had ground turkey on sale -- $1 for one of those 1-lb tubey things. And it was light turkey too. I went and bought $10 worth so I could stock up on them for easy meals later. Always thinking ahead.
I spent the rest of the afternoon on the internet. And then after I posted that wedding video, I was sending messages back and forth to my cousin on Facebook about some Bollywood videos we'd loved back in the day and then I started getting nostalgic and began watching them on YouTube. I'm sure my husband thought I'd lost my mind again when he saw me glued to the computer watching all that cheesiness. Good stuff though.
Don't worry, I did manage to tear myself away to get dinner going. I had some chicken drumsticks thawing in the fridge that I needed to use up. See, those were the result of yet another good sale a few weeks ago -- chicken drumsticks and thighs were $.99/lb so I stocked up. Of course at that low of a price they came with the skin on, which I hate dealing with. Anyway, I figured a good way to use up the drumsticks was to marinate them in one of those bottled marinades and then bake them up.
No evil cookies here, just chicken and some lettuce and tomatoes.
We decided to watch a movie as we were eating dinner -- we have had some movies from Netflix for a few weeks now and really need to watch them. We watched RocknRolla, which is a crime flick, not really my type, but it wasn't too bad.
Oh but we decided to snack a bit as we were watching. There might have been some Sun Chips that made their way into my tummy but managed to avoid being photographed.
Look who decided to show up!
Those darn cookies keep showing up everywhere like those travelling gnomes.
That's it for tonight!
A little Friday fun!
Okay I know this video has been all over the interwebs this past week, but I couldn't resist putting on here. I love it!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
The Un-Omelet
I've been having cereal for breakfast quite a bit these past couple weeks and thought I'd change things up a bit and do a veggie omelet today.
Does that look like an omelet to you?
Hmmph.
I think the mistakes were using only 1 egg, and then not beating the egg enough before pouring into the pan. Once I tried flipping it and it tore, I figured I might as well do my version of scrambled eggs, which seem to resemble smushed up omelet rather than scrambled eggs.
Oh well, it tasted really good! I sauteed some fresh mushrooms and spinach in cooking spray before adding the egg. Then I added a little chopped green onion and cheese. Once on the plate I added more green onion, a little bit more cheese (all for presentation, of course!), and some salsa. I think I will try to sautee mushrooms and spinach to keep on hand for impromptu omelets or to go with lunches and dinners.
So I decided I'm going to do my best to document my food each day, depending on where I am and who I'm with. For now I'm going to hold off on tracking calories or points -- I just want to see how I eat when I know I'll have an audience. :)
Does that look like an omelet to you?
Hmmph.
I think the mistakes were using only 1 egg, and then not beating the egg enough before pouring into the pan. Once I tried flipping it and it tore, I figured I might as well do my version of scrambled eggs, which seem to resemble smushed up omelet rather than scrambled eggs.
Oh well, it tasted really good! I sauteed some fresh mushrooms and spinach in cooking spray before adding the egg. Then I added a little chopped green onion and cheese. Once on the plate I added more green onion, a little bit more cheese (all for presentation, of course!), and some salsa. I think I will try to sautee mushrooms and spinach to keep on hand for impromptu omelets or to go with lunches and dinners.
So I decided I'm going to do my best to document my food each day, depending on where I am and who I'm with. For now I'm going to hold off on tracking calories or points -- I just want to see how I eat when I know I'll have an audience. :)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
A spicy dinner and monochromatic dessert
So we did end up seeing the Monet exhibit. Though I like Impressionism and Monet's work, I have to admit I was very disappointed by the exhibit. It took up all of 2 rooms. I would have loved to have seen more and would gladly have spent hours soaking it all in. We ended up spending 20 minutes max. It's a good thing we took advantage of a special the museum was running where they offer 50% admission on Thursdays from 4-8 pm, otherwise I would have felt even more upset. Anyway, at least we got to inject a bit of culture into our week!
After we were done, we were both getting hungry. Now, we were in the Midtown portion of Atlanta, which is where I used to work a few years ago. There are so many great restaurants in that area, but a lot of them were just a bit too pricey for us right now. We tossed around some ideas and were going to go to a Bangladeshi restaurant when Mr. Spice suggested we get some Caribbean food. I thought of a place a former coworker loved going to and highly recommended. It was a bit of a drive from where we were, but it was way after rush hour so the highway was clear.
It wasn't until we had the menus that we realized that this place was also a bit out of our price range considering our current situation, but we decided once in a while was okay and this would just be our once in a while. :) There were so many good choices, and I was wavering between quite a few but I ended up ordering the curry chicken/jerk chicken combo and Mr. Spice ordered the oxtail/curry goat combo. I really wish I could have taken a picture of my plate to show you how much food there was, but you know how Mr. Spice is about taking pictures of food in restaurants. Le sigh. But I did the next best thing and took a picture of the leftovers I brought home!
Starting from the top left: rice and beans, steamed veggies, and then the good stuff -- Jerk chicken on the left and curry chicken on the right.
The food at the restaurant was pretty good. The jerk chicken could have been spicier, but it was still good. I liked the curry chicken, but that's probably a given since I'm used to eating Indian food. Oh and I even tried some of Mr. Spice's oxtail and goat curry. Now this is a big deal since I don't like eating goat meat or lamb. The goat didn't have that "goat-y" taste that I usually find when I've tried it at restaurants or other people's houses. I'm not saying I would order an entree of goat meat, but I would try a bite here and there. The oxtail is really beef, and it was good -- very rich and meaty tasting. Again, I wouldn't order it myself as an entree but I would sample it again.
I was good about not polishing off my food, but that would have been hard to do anyway since they served so much food. But I was still careful not to let myself get to that stuffed point that's so easy to do when the food tastes good. I knew I wanted some ice cream when I got home, so that helped me stop when I had enough.
Now then, onto my monochromatic dessert.
I probably should have put this into one of my cute little prep bowls, but I guess it worked out after all.
I don't know if you guys have tried Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk ice cream. If you haven't, please do so. It's so good. I usually go for the all chocolate-type ice creams, but this is definitely up there in my favorites. It's a cinnamon-y ice cream with oatmeal cookie chunks and chocolate chunks. So good. Well when I saw that Publix had come out with their (significantly cheaper) version of it, I had to give it a try. The main difference is that the ice cream here is a honey ice cream with cinnamon swirls in it, but the taste is pretty dead on otherwise. If only someone would make a low-fat version of this!
But most importantly, don't you love how the ice cream matches my bowl? It even kinda goes with the counter-top!
After we were done, we were both getting hungry. Now, we were in the Midtown portion of Atlanta, which is where I used to work a few years ago. There are so many great restaurants in that area, but a lot of them were just a bit too pricey for us right now. We tossed around some ideas and were going to go to a Bangladeshi restaurant when Mr. Spice suggested we get some Caribbean food. I thought of a place a former coworker loved going to and highly recommended. It was a bit of a drive from where we were, but it was way after rush hour so the highway was clear.
It wasn't until we had the menus that we realized that this place was also a bit out of our price range considering our current situation, but we decided once in a while was okay and this would just be our once in a while. :) There were so many good choices, and I was wavering between quite a few but I ended up ordering the curry chicken/jerk chicken combo and Mr. Spice ordered the oxtail/curry goat combo. I really wish I could have taken a picture of my plate to show you how much food there was, but you know how Mr. Spice is about taking pictures of food in restaurants. Le sigh. But I did the next best thing and took a picture of the leftovers I brought home!
Starting from the top left: rice and beans, steamed veggies, and then the good stuff -- Jerk chicken on the left and curry chicken on the right.
The food at the restaurant was pretty good. The jerk chicken could have been spicier, but it was still good. I liked the curry chicken, but that's probably a given since I'm used to eating Indian food. Oh and I even tried some of Mr. Spice's oxtail and goat curry. Now this is a big deal since I don't like eating goat meat or lamb. The goat didn't have that "goat-y" taste that I usually find when I've tried it at restaurants or other people's houses. I'm not saying I would order an entree of goat meat, but I would try a bite here and there. The oxtail is really beef, and it was good -- very rich and meaty tasting. Again, I wouldn't order it myself as an entree but I would sample it again.
I was good about not polishing off my food, but that would have been hard to do anyway since they served so much food. But I was still careful not to let myself get to that stuffed point that's so easy to do when the food tastes good. I knew I wanted some ice cream when I got home, so that helped me stop when I had enough.
Now then, onto my monochromatic dessert.
I probably should have put this into one of my cute little prep bowls, but I guess it worked out after all.
I don't know if you guys have tried Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk ice cream. If you haven't, please do so. It's so good. I usually go for the all chocolate-type ice creams, but this is definitely up there in my favorites. It's a cinnamon-y ice cream with oatmeal cookie chunks and chocolate chunks. So good. Well when I saw that Publix had come out with their (significantly cheaper) version of it, I had to give it a try. The main difference is that the ice cream here is a honey ice cream with cinnamon swirls in it, but the taste is pretty dead on otherwise. If only someone would make a low-fat version of this!
But most importantly, don't you love how the ice cream matches my bowl? It even kinda goes with the counter-top!
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